Suspicious letter delivered to resident of June Lake

Date:      June 25, 2015
Subject: Susicpicious Letter Delivery in June Lake

On Wednesday, June 24th, 2015, at approximately 5:00pm, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a call from a resident of June Lake regarding a suspicious letter that was received.

A resident of the community of June Lake received a suspicious letter containing a white powdery substance. The resident contacted the Mono County Sheriff’s Office requesting assistance. Deputies and Mono County EMS were dispatched to the residence in June Lake. Several people, including a first responder, were potentially exposed to the white powder and were transported via ambulance to Mammoth Hospital for observation.

A Unified Command was established with Mono County EMS, June Lake Fire Department, Mammoth Lakes Fire Department, Mono County Health Department and Mono County Sheriff’s Office. Decontamination and proper Hazmat procedures were followed and all clothing and materials were secured for further analysis. The Mono County Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) regional laboratory to assist in the testing of the white powder. Preliminary test results from the FBI laboratory show the white powder is not a hazardous substance. Final test results are still pending.

We would like to remind the public that any suspicious letter or package could be a serious threat. If you receive anything out of the ordinary or suspicious, contact law enforcement immediately and leave the letter or package alone until authorities arrive.

We will continue to provide updates on this case as they become available. - Jennifer M. Hansen, Public Information Officer